In-Home Exposure Therapy for Veterans with PTSD.

摘要

We have set up a study that will provide a certain type of exposure therapy, called prolonged exposure therapy (PE) to military Veterans. We will ask 272 Veterans to participate in the study. Our goal is to compare PE conducted in three different ways: (1) PE that is office-based (OB; Veterans come to the clinic to meet with the therapist), (2) PE delivered via home-based telehealth (HBT; Veterans stay at home and meet with the therapist using the computer and video cameras), and (3) PE delivered in home, in person (IHIP; the therapist comes to the Veterans homes for treatment). We will be checking to see if symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety get better (less severe) after the treatment and six months later. We will also see if there are differences in the three ways we will be providing the therapy. We hypothesize that the IHIP approach, compared to the other two approaches, will be more effective at reducing the PTSD symptoms experienced by these Veterans because it will help Veterans attend each session and complete the therapy homework assigned by the therapists (such as doing feared activities around the house or the neighborhood). We have now been referred 311 veterans. Of the 311 referred, including 263 males (85%) and 48 females (15%), 30 veterans (10% of those referred) have been randomized to the study. Of the 30 randomized participants, 19 (63%) are currently in Prolonged Exposure therapy, 5 (17%) have completed therapy and 6 (20%) have dropped out of therapy.